Propex heater

Hey that sounds neat.... any idea what they sell for ??? How large are they ?
Might be nice on a cool night....

Joel
SEA3PO
 
here's a price list for the kit- http://firstmatemarine.com/2800.pdf

the smaller 6,200 btu model is about $300 less

It was a pretty small unit, I asked if the unit could be mounted in the cockpit under the gunnel, he said no problem. one down side to this, I saw somewhere in the specs that the heater will run 8 hours on a gallon of propane. That could pose a capacity issue if you where going out for a long trip and using propane for BBQ and cooking. Getting refilled at a marina may be a toughy
 
Joel,

Come aboard on our next get-together, I'll show you my Wallas 1300, I'm extremely happy with it, about $1,100 total with all accessories. (and BTW, that 'special knife' that comes with all Wallas' still remains in its sheath!)
 
After thinking about this propex heater for a spell, I ventured north into the heart of the city and purchased a one from sure marine. For less than $1000 I walked out of there with the heater and most of the fixins for a proper propane system. I just started installing yesterday& so far I'm really liking it. I mounted it under the counter in the space that the old wallas 800 guts used to occupy & used the same exhaust and through hull from the wallas....this is going to be awsome to have dependable, quiet heat.

I now have a finicky wallas 800 mineral spirits stove sitting in my garage that the spousal unit is bugging me to get rid of, I have to do some head scratching on that
 
You're going to be so toasty!

I remember when you put that Wallas in you were pleased with it. Wasn't it a used one with a history?
 
why yes Mike, it is a historic wallas, if we ever have a C-Brat museum, it should go on display :)
The thing has worked good for me, it just needs regular fixing. last spring it fired up and ran good but the fan wouldn't shut off, eventually it it fixed itself. Last week I fired it up and it ran good for hours & again the fan wouldn't shut off, now it will fire up but wount stay ignited.....I went through this same thing years ago and had to replace a sensor...I'm moving on to more heat, more regular....not that I ever use the durn boat anyway
 
A lot of fear of propane has been expressed on D-Brats about propane on a boat, but I will be watching and hoping to see full installation pix as you go through your propex install. I had propane on my Gulf 32 motor sailor for the oven, not for forced air heat. But even back in '86 when I had that boat, there seemed to be a lot of safety checks in place. Not only did you close off the bottle valve at the bottle, but there was a small solenoid valve that was activated by a switch in the cabin that had to be activated to get gas to the oven before the oven could be fired up. The oven itself had some fail safes built into it. The propane bottles...two small ones...were in a locker that had fume drains overboard at the stern of the boat. I liked the two small bottles rather than the single larger (BBQ sized bottle). The smaller bottles were easier to take for refill as well, and took up less space than the single big bottle. At least there were more space options using the two small bottle installation.
 
potter water":18r85263 said:
I had propane on my Gulf 32 motor sailor for the oven, not for forced air heat. But even back in '86 when I had that boat, there seemed to be a lot of safety checks in place.
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Same here: Propane stove/oven, but no propane heat because when away from services you just couldn't carry enough BTU's (or get them refilled easily enough) to heat with it (as compared to diesel or kerosene).

That said, I was never "scared" having propane on the boat. Respectful and careful, absolutely yes! And careful to set things up properly, with many "checks and balances" (ABYC guidelines). Actually, gasoline could be pretty scary too, if you think about it. I guess the main difference being that it rises vs. falling if there is a leak. But still.... we wouldn't have "improper" gasoline systems aboard (or if we did, we'd probably be having some scary incidents).

My main concern with propane heat aboard is still the same one: Can I store enough BTU's aboard, and how easily I can replenish them. The answer was "no" on a long-distance boat, but is somewhere between "yes" and "maybe" on the C-Dory (have to figure that one out!). For example, I could carry about 20# of propane (modified port lazarette), but if going on a longer trip away from services, there isn't an easy way to "stock up," whereas with diesel or kero, it's possible to safely stow an extra five gallons aboard, if so desired - and probably easier to refill as well. Points to diesel/kero. That said, if I could squeak by on any potential longer trips, propane would be my preferred heating/cooking fuel for the rest of the time. It's all yet to be decided. I don't know that I would want to "lose" the port lazarette to propane if it were only going to be for cooking and not heating as well.

Speaking of which, I have to make a decision on my Wallas 95. I sent it off to Scan for an inspection/tune up (had never even tried to start it and wanted it checked over by the pro's prior to using it) and they said it looked and worked great and didn't actually look like it had ever been used. It's ready to go at Scan, so now I need to either sell it (which would probably be more likely to someone in Washington or environs), or have it shipped to me in Texas. I don't really see myself using it, but maybe I should keep it with the boat just in case.... it's always hard to know when you don't know yet :crook

Sunbeam

PS: Sure Marine looks like a good place to get heating system components.
 
Bill K":3vstlvel said:
Sunbeam,
I had Wefings measure my port lazarette and it is not deep enough even for a ten pound propane bottle.
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That's true, as-is. But there is a relatively simple mod that makes it so you can fit two 10# or 11# tanks in it*. You can see it if you look at SEA3PO's album. Essentially you cut a part of the bottom out, and then mold up a new, "hat shaped" bottom and drop it into place with the hat "brim" epoxied to the edges of the hole. SEA3PO put in one tank, but I mocked up two and I believe they would fit (with a larger "hat"). He seems to have fit one of the Lite Cylinder 10# composite tanks through the new, IMTRA lazarette hatches although it looks by measurements like it would be 1/16" too wide. Apparently in reality it works. However two 11# Worthington steel tanks would fit with room to spare (they are narrower). They're what I mocked up to check it out (but of course anyone else doing it should check their boat*).

I also checked and it looks to me like the locker drain would still be slightly above the existing through hull drain, so that would be okay too.

For cooking only, a person could probably get by with the 1# tanks (which are now made in officially refillable versions as well as the disposable ones), so no mods would be necessary. But if I decide to use propane heating, then I'd go with two of the Worthington 11# tanks. Having two is nice because you can remove one to fill it while you are still using the other one. Or, if you know you are going to be staying close to fill sources, you only need carry one tank, thus saving some weight.

Sunbeam

*This might depend on which fuel tanks you have. I don't know that this would have worked with my original, 25-gallon tanks; however with the Moeller 23-ers it does.
 
Well it is to late for me as I already bought a 20lb. Lite tank and will have to find a different place to put it.

I am using propane for my Honda 2000i generator that I run on propane only.

I got taken on the composite tank as it is 4 years old already and only has a 15 year life span. :(

So far no response from where I bought it.

Bill Kelleher
 
I was able to fit a horizontal 10lb aluminum cylinder in the (stock) port lazarette in a 1991 22 cruiser. The 1991 model used a molded fiberglass hatch and the opening was larger than the current plastic hatches.
 
I have two 10 lb. horizontal cylinders in my notes, and they are both too wide to go into the IMTRA (or probably the original plastic) hatches. One is a Manchester aluminum that's 10.38" in diameter, and the other is a Seaward aluminum, which is 11" in diameter. The IMTRA hatches are 9.5" wide (I didn't measure the original plastic hatches, but I'd guess they were 1/2-3/4" wider?). That said, I may not have found all the options.

The older, molded fiberglass hatches are nice :thup If I do the locker-bottom mod - which depends on whether or not I go for propane heat - I'll have to console myself with being able to fit 22# in (two 11# cylinders) once I do the work. But it would be nice to be able to just drop one 10-pounder in, for sure.
 
I'm fortunate to have the older style molded lid and can easily fit several worthington 5# tanks in there, I have a 5# manchester tank but it is about a 1/2" to tall. A 5# tank is supposed to run the heater on high for over 10 hours...plenty for our needs for now, we're pretty much fair weather cruisers & anglers. I can do the Joel R. locker modification later if need be.

I mounted the regulator and gauge on the inside of the bomb shelter, and 5200'd some 3/4 pvc pipe across the stern and up the side to act as a race for the hose. I still have some pluming and wiring yet to do, I'm in no hurry to get this done,just want to make sure it's right.

That's a bummer buying a new tank that already has four years on the clock.

Regarding sure marine, I shopped around and their prices where better than most, real helpful folks and plenty knowledgeable, and not just looking to make a sale. I went through a grilling on tank mounting, vents, plumbing and they pointed out the downside of the run time of propane. I think once they where satisfied I wouldn't blow myself up and would be happy with the heater they warmed up to selling one, I'd trade there again.
 
Some excellent posts, I agree with the concept of propane for stoves, but not heating--OK for very limited time, as long as you have vented as this Propex heater seems to have.

We have always had, the regulator and valves in the compartment which is vented overboard. The regulators have been know to blow, and are also made of pot metal, so very subject to corrosion. We always had a solenoid valve to shut off the propane when the stove was not used. We also had a sniffer in the bottom of the bilge (but not where water could get to it) and one just in back of the stove, to allow use to be aware of any propane leak. The sniffer had both an alarm, and was wired to the solenoid valve so it would shut off the propane if a leak was detected.

Yes, I have both seen propane explosions in person, and treated patients with burns and injuries from propane (as well as gasoline)9--so I am very respectful of these inflammable gas appliances.
 
Got the furnace installed as per ABYC code and has the spousal unit seal of approval. I threw a couple of pics in the album. I think this will be a real nice addition to our motor yacht
 
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